Utica College adds to senior leadership team

UTICA — Utica College (UC) recently announced several additions to the college’s senior leadership team.

The leaders are: Anthony Baird, VP for diversity, equity and inclusion; Karen Ferrer-Muniz, associate VP for enrollment management; Stephanie Nesbitt, dean of the School of Business and Justice Studies; Musco Millner III, director of campus safety; and Sharon Wise, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences.

Baird, who earned his bachelor’s degree from UC in 1993, joined the college this past May. He earned his doctorate in higher education leadership from Johnson and Wales University, and retired recently from UMass Dartmouth, Charlton College of Business, Business Innovation Research Center, where he was director of corporate programs development and career management and coaching. He is principle consultant of I Am EPPIC Enterprises LLC, an educational, personal, and professional-coaching enterprise.

Ferrer-Muniz has more than 25 years of experience as an educational administrator, faculty, and academic advisor, specializing in student-life development, developmental education, academic-support services, and programming. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, and a master’s degree from the University at Albany in social sciences and Latin American studies. Ferrer-Muniz is currently an ABD doctoral candidate at the University at Albany. Prior to joining UC, she was the associate dean of students and director of Minority Student Affairs and HEOP at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy.

Nesbitt, associate professor and director of the Utica College MBA program, has served as associate dean of UC’s School of Business and Justice Studies for several years. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College, an MBA from Syracuse University, and her law degree from the University at Buffalo. Her research is in the development and effective teaching of business education programs and legal issues in cybersecurity. A licensed attorney, Nesbitt was risk manager and associate counsel for Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare before joining UC.

Millner, retired captain and 26-year veteran of the New York State Police, joined UC last August. Born and raised on what was formerly Griffiss Air Force Base, he earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University at Albany and a master’s degree in mathematics education from SUNY Empire State College. A longtime adjunct professor in mathematics, Millner received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award last year for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching.

Wise earned her master’s and Ph.D. in environmental and evolutionary biology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. A professor of biology, she returns to the position of dean of UC’s School of Arts and Sciences, following her recent sabbatical. Wise received the Virgil Crisafulli Distinguished Teaching Award in 2011.